Over the course of the next few months, I'm counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments.

#55 Catfish and Grits at the Breakfast Klub

"You can tell a lot about a person by how they eat their breakfast," says Breakfast Klub owner Marcus Davis. "Some people put jelly in their grits. Some mix their grits and eggs up together. We got one guy spreads his grits in a layer on top of his toast. It's a meal that encourages improvisation," he says. My favorite Breakfast Klub improvisation is catfish and grits with poached eggs.

Like shrimp and grits, catfish and grits is an old Southern combo traditionally eaten for breakfast with crispy bacon -- it's the eggs that are the innovation. In 1985, New York Times food critic Craig Claiborne wrote an article about chef Bill Neal's upscaled shrimp and grits. That article sparked an explosion of "New Southern Cooking." Since then, shrimp and grits and catfish and grits have been jazzed up, jammed on, and remixed by countless Southern cooks.

One of my favorite New Orleans chefs, Frank Brigtsen, calls his version of catfish and grits "Mustard & Cornmeal Fried Catfish with Stone Ground Jalapeño Cheese Grits & Creole Sauce." You can also get catfish and grits at Cedar Creek Café. The best improvisation over there is the addition of a Bloody Mary.